Source text - EnglishII. Concerning the Greatness of Kings
Come then, let us go back, and let us consider, and let us begin [to state] which of the kings of the earth, from the first even unto the last, in respect of the Law and the Ordinances and honour and greatness, we should magnify or decry.
GREGORY, the worker of wonders and miracles,4 who was cast into a cave because of [his] love for the martyrdom of CHRIST and suffered tribulation for fifteen years, said, "When I was in the pit I pondered over this matter, and over the folly of the Kings of ARMENIA, and I said, In so far as I can conceive it, [in] what doth the greatness of kings [consist]? Is it in the multitude of soldiers, or in the splendour of worldly possessions, or in extent of rule over cities and towns? This was my thought each time of my prayer, and my thought stirred me again and again to meditate upon the greatness of kings. And now I will begin."
III. Concerning the Kingdom of ADAM
He appointed under Him ADAM to be king over all that He had created. And He drove him out of the Garden, because of his apostasy through the sin of the Serpent and the plotting of the Devil. And at that sorrowful moment CAIN was born, and when ADAM saw that the face of CAIN was ill-tempered (or, sullen) and his appearance evil he was sad. And then ABEL was born, and when ADAM saw that his appearance was good and his face good-tempered he said, "This is my son, the heir of my kingdom."